The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing two state laws, one in Idaho and one in West Virginia, that prohibit biological males who identify as female from competing in women’s sports. The outcome could reshape Title IX interpretations and affect policies in numerous states.
During oral arguments, justices pressed for clarity on basic definitions. Justice Samuel Alito asked, “Is it not necessary for there to be … an understanding of what it means to be a boy or a girl or a man or a woman?” When he requested a definition from ACLU attorney Kathleen Hartnett, representing a transgender-identifying male athlete, she admitted, “We do not have a definition.” Alito responded, “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what ‘sex’ means?”
Macy Petty, a former NCAA athlete and advocate with Concerned Women for America, called the legal battle “at its heart, a spiritual battle.” She stated, “God created us in His image, male and female … But that is threatening to those who hate God.”
